Sport training bag

Abstract

A sport carrying bag has a rotatable disc which is configured with a plurality of circumferentially spaced ball-receiving regions including one through-hole region, a mounting plate located below the disc, a chute downwardly extending to a loading section of launching apparatus, a fixed bi-directional ball feeding motor for rotatably driving the disc, and a controller in data communication with the ball feeding motor. Upon rotation of the disc in a first direction, a ball received in the through-hole region ceases to be contacted by the mounting plate and gravitates through the chute to the loading section of the launching apparatus. In response to a detected jammed condition, the controller commands the ball feeding motor to reverse its operating direction such that the disc will rotate in a second direction to cause one or more jammed balls to become dislodged.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A portable and ready to use sport carrying bag, comprising:
 a) launching apparatus for automatically launching balls therefrom to a distance, comprising a single electrically rotatable fly wheel driven by a fly wheel motor and rotatably mounted in a structure having two laterally spaced mounting plates and a lower guiding surface from which a ball is ejectable that interconnects a bottom edge of the two mounting plates; 
 b) a disc of a ball sorting apparatus which is rotatable about a vertical axis and configured to deliver a ball to said launching apparatus; 
 c) an outer periphery comprising a hard outer shell that encloses the launching apparatus and the ball sorting apparatus, the outer periphery having opposed sidewalls and formed with an opening from which a ball launched by said launching apparatus is ejected, wherein the outer periphery has a height greater than a width, and is kept in an upright position during operation of said launching apparatus while balk are being launched, so as to be prevented from falling over as a result of the launch; 
 d) a platform extending between the opposed sidewalls of the outer periphery and located above the disc of the ball sorting apparatus; 
 e) a hopper which is integral with the outer periphery of the sport carrying bag and is expandable, the hopper configured with a bottom opening located below the platform through which stored balls falling from the platform are directable to the ball sorting apparatus; 
 f) a side cover of the hopper which is securable to the outer periphery in a closed condition to allow a first number of balk to be stored in the hopper and is also configured to be pivotally opened while remaining partially secured to the outer periphery so as to be able to hold a second number of balls greater than the first number; and 
 g) a mechanical launch angle adjusting mechanism comprising a bar connected to a fixture outwardly protruding from one of the fly wheel mounting plates and passing through a groove formed in a casing wall of the sport carrying bag that is positioned interiorly to the outer periphery, displacement of the bar along the groove initiating pivotal displacement of the mounting plates relative to a bracket of the structure and a corresponding launching angle of a ball ejected from the launching apparatus relative to a horizontal plane. 
 
     
     
       2. The sport carrying bag according to  claim 1 , wherein the disc of the ball sorting apparatus is configured with a plurality of circumferentially spaced ball-receiving regions including one through-hole region, the sport carrying bag further comprising:
 a) a mounting plate located below the disc; 
 b) a chute downwardly extending to a loading section of the launching apparatus; 
 c) a fixed bi-directional ball feeding motor, for rotatably driving the disc; and 
 d) a controller in data communication with said ball feeding motor, wherein circuitry of said ball feeding motor is suitable to transmit acquired motor data to said controller, 
 wherein, upon rotation of the disc in a first rotational direction, a ball received in said through-hole region ceases to be contacted by said mounting plate at one angular position of said disc coinciding with said chute and gravitates through said chute to the loading section of the launching apparatus, wherein, in response to a detected jammed condition whereby additional balls are unable to be fed from the disc to the launching apparatus, said circuitry detects that said ball feeding motor is overloaded and said controller commands said ball feeding motor to reverse its operating direction such that said disc will rotate in a second rotational direction opposite to the first direction to cause one or more jammed balls to become dislodged. 
 
     
     
       3. The sport carrying bag according to  claim 2 , wherein the circuitry is operable to detect that that the ball feeding motor is overloaded when the ball feeding motor is operating with a current that is higher than a predetermined value. 
     
     
       4. The sport carrying bag according to  claim 3 , wherein the predetermined value is proportional to a set current value or to an absolute threshold. 
     
     
       5. The sport carrying bag according to  claim 2 , further comprising a gearbox connected to the ball feeding motor, said gearbox configured to cause the disc to rotate at a sufficiently slow speed in the first rotational direction that will ensure that a ball passing through the through-hole region will be received in, and not overshoot, the chute. 
     
     
       6. The sport carrying bag according to  claim 5 , wherein the gearbox is configured to cause the disc to rotate at substantially at a same speed in the second rotational direction as in the first rotational direction. 
     
     
       7. The sport carrying bag according to  claim 2 , wherein the controller is configured to command the ball feeding motor to reverse its operating direction from the second rotational direction to the first rotational direction once one of the jammed balls becomes dislodged from an inlet to the chute. 
     
     
       8. The sport carrying bag according to  claim 2 , wherein the controller is also in data communication with the fly wheel motor, further comprising a user interface in data communication with the controller by which user selected operating conditions for the ball feeding motor and the fly wheel motor are enterable. 
     
     
       9. The sport carrying bag according to  claim 8 , further comprising one or more sensors in data communication with the controller configured to detect remote control commands, and a processing element suitable to process data from the one or more sensors. 
     
     
       10. The sport carrying bag according to  claim 9 , wherein the one or more sensors include sound sensors for detecting voice or sound commands including a sound of a racket hitting a tennis ball, visual sensors for visually detecting commands including a predefined hand gesture, and a sensor suitable to detect a control command. 
     
     
       11. The sport carrying bag according to  claim 9 , further comprising a wireless communication module configured to wirelessly communicate with an electronic computing device and to receive commands therefrom, and to transmit training related data output from the processing element. 
     
     
       12. The sport carrying bag according to  claim 8 , wherein the ball sorting apparatus is settable to automatically deliver one of the balls from the hopper to the loading section of the launching apparatus once every fixed or unfixed time interval and at a desired launching velocity. 
     
     
       13. The sport carrying bag according to  claim 1 , further comprising at least one fabric strap or a shoulder strap by which the sport carrying bag is able to be carried and handled. 
     
     
       14. The sport carrying bag according to  claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of compartments suitable to accommodate sport equipment and an internal structure, wherein the outer periphery is external to the plurality of compartments and the internal structure is fastened to the outer shell of the outer periphery to segment the sport carrying bag into the plurality of compartments and prevents the sport carrying bag from collapsing, wherein the launching apparatus and the ball sorting apparatus are held in place by the internal structure. 
     
     
       15. The sport carrying bag according to  claim 14 , wherein one of the compartments in which a mobile device is storable is attached to a top of the outer shell which adjoins the integral hopper. 
     
     
       16. The sport carrying bag according to  claim 1 , further comprising a retractable trolley type handle, allowing the sport carrying bag to be wheeled. 
     
     
       17. The sport carrying bag according to  claim 1 , further comprising two laterally separated and foldable net partitions, each connected at a first end to a portion of the outer periphery and at a second end to the pivotal side cover of the hopper and configured, when tensioned, to block a formed side opening between the outer periphery portion and the pivotal side cover of the hopper and to thereby prevent outward discharge of the stored balk through the side opening. 
     
     
       18. The sport carrying bag according to  claim 1 , wherein the outer periphery further comprises an outer fabric. 
     
     
       19. A portable and ready to use sport carrying bag, comprising:
 a) launching apparatus for automatically launching balls therefrom to a distance, comprising a single electrically rotatable fly wheel driven by a fly wheel motor and rotatably mounted in a structure having two laterally spaced mounting plates and a lower guiding surface from which a ball is ejectable that interconnects a bottom edge of the two mounting plates; 
 b) a disc of a ball sorting apparatus which is rotatable about a vertical axis and configured to deliver a ball to said launching apparatus; 
 c) an outer periphery enclosing the launching apparatus and the ball sorting apparatus, the outer periphery having opposed sidewalk and formed with an opening from which a ball launched by said launching apparatus is ejected, wherein the outer periphery has a height greater than a width, and is kept in an upright position during operation of said launching apparatus while balls are being launched, so as to be prevented from falling over as a result of the launch; 
 d) a platform extending between the opposed sidewalk of the outer periphery and located above the disc of the ball sorting apparatus; 
 e) a hopper which is integral with the outer periphery of the sport carrying bag and is expandable, the hopper configured with a bottom opening located below the platform through which stored balls falling from the platform are directable to the ball sorting apparatus; and 
 f) a side cover of the hopper which is securable to the outer periphery in a closed condition to allow a first number of balls to be stored in the hopper and is also configured to be pivotally opened while remaining partially secured to the outer periphery so as to be able to hold a second number of balls greater than the first number. 
 
     
     
       20. The sport carrying bag according to  claim 19 , further comprising two laterally separated and foldable net partitions, each connected at a first end to a portion of the outer periphery and at a second end to the pivotal side cover of the hopper and configured, when tensioned, to block a formed side opening between the outer periphery portion and the pivotal side cover of the hopper and to thereby prevent outward discharge of the stored balls through the side opening.